Ivory Coast’s national flag has three vertical bands. They are orange at the hoist, white in the middle, and green at the fly, with all three bands equal in size.
The flag was adopted on 3 December 1959, shortly before Ivory Coast became fully independent from France on 7 August 1960. Its design was retained in the country’s post-independence constitution and is still defined as a vertical tricolor of orange, white, and green.
The colors have been given several interpretations. Official explanations associate orange with the land, struggle, and blood of Ivorians; white with peace and order; and green with hope and a better future. The vertical arrangement has also been connected with national progress and youth working toward the future.
The flag is often confused with Ireland’s because both use three vertical bands of orange, white, and green. The order is reversed, however: Ivory Coast begins with orange on the hoist side, while Ireland begins with green. Ivory Coast’s proportions are also 2:3.